Lady Lions to participate in WBCA 'Pink Zone' Feb. 14

HAMMOND -- The Lady Lions women's basketball program will participate in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's Pink Zone initiative designed to raise breast cancer awareness in conjunction with its Southland Conference contest versus Nicholls State on Feb. 14 in 3 p.m. in the University Center. The WBCA Pink Zone initiative is a global, unified effort for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The WBCA began the WBCA Pink Zone, formerly known as "Think Pink," in 2007 as an initiative to raise breast cancer awareness in women's basketball, on campuses and in communities. In 2007, more than 120 schools unified for this effort and helped make the inaugural year a success. In 2008, over 1,200 teams and organizations participated, reaching over 830,000 fans and raising over $930,000 for breast cancer awareness and research. The Lady Lions first participated in 2008. With Southeastern supporting the initiative for the second year, Southeastern head coach Lori Davis Jones hopes for the event to continue to evolve. "We are extremely proud and honored to be able to participate in the Pink Zone initiative again this year," Jones commented. "Our program, university and community are all very committed to promoting breast cancer awareness. The game will give us the special opportunity to play our part in the fight against breast cancer, while also showcasing our exciting brand of Division I women's basketball." The Lady Lions, who will be sporting special pink uniforms, will honor breast cancer survivors at halftime. Fans in attendance are encouraged to wear a pink shirt to the game and the first 500 fans to arrive at the University Center will receive a free t-shirt courtesy of Entergy and Connie's Impressions.The Southeastern Student Government Association will provide fans with pink megaphones. In addition, the Hammond Running Club will sponsor a two-mile fun run in conjunction with the event. Registration for the run will be at 1 p.m. in the area between the University Center and the Alumni Center. The run will commence at 1:30 p.m. The entry fee is $2 and the runners will receive a t-shirt and two tickets to the contest. For more information on the run, contact Bruce O'Krepki at (985) 687-8899. The Pink Zone initiative has taken on a special meaning in its third year with the passing of North Carolina State coach Kay Yow on Jan. 24. Yow, a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame, had battled breast cancer since 1987 and helped raise awareness for the disease. In honor of Yow's memory, Southeastern will donate proceeds to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. For ticket information, contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit the official website of Southeastern Athletics, www.LionSports.net.